Providing navigation objects for communications over a network

Abstract

Communications between participants over a communications link are proxied by an intermediary, such as an Integrated Order Mechanism (IOM). Participants interact with each other through the IOM. The IOM may be transparent to the participants such that they are not aware that the IOM is involved in processing communications. For example, in the context of a transaction by a customer making a purchase from a merchant over the Internet, the IOM facilitates the processing of transactions by processing requests from both the customer and the merchant. Neither the customer nor the merchant may be aware that the transactions are being handled by the IOM. Navigation objects may be provided for the communications over a network. For example, a navigation bar may be included on a merchant web page to provide the customer with a link back to a shopping application provided by the IOM.

1 . A method for processing requests for electronic documents, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:
 receiving a request for an electronic document that includes one or more relative addresses of one or more other electronic documents;   retrieving the electronic document;   generating a revised electronic document by updating one or more of the one or more relative addresses to specify one or more absolute addresses of the one or more other electronic documents; and   providing the revised electronic document in response to the request for the electronic document.   
     
     
         2 . A method for processing requests for electronic documents, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:
 receiving, at an intermediary, a request for an electric document that includes at least one document address of one or more other electronic documents;   retrieving the electronic document;   generating, at the intermediary, a revised electronic document by creating at least one modified document address for at least one of the one or more other electronic documents, wherein the modified document address includes both the document address and an intermediary address associated with the intermediary; and   providing the revised electronic document in response to the request for the electronic document.   
     
     
         3 . A computer-readable medium for processing requests for electronic documents, the computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:
 receiving a request for an electronic document that includes one or more relative addresses of one or more other electronic documents;   retrieving the electronic document;   generating a revised electronic document by updating one or more of the one or more relative addresses to specify one or more absolute addresses of the one or more other electronic documents; and   providing the revised electronic document in response to the request for the electronic document.   
     
     
         4 . A computer-readable medium for processing requests for electronic documents, the computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:
 receiving, at an intermediary, a request for an electronic document that includes at least one document address of one or more other electronic documents;   retrieving the electronic documents;   generating, at the intermediary, a revised electronic document by creating at least one modified document address for at least one of the one or more other electronic documents, wherein the modified document address includes both the document address and an intermediary address associated with the intermediary; and   providing the revised electronic document in response to the request for the electronic document.   
     
     
         5 . A system for processing requests for electronic document, the system comprising:
 an intermediary that is associated with a first electronic document having a first address; and   a server that is associated with a second electronic document having a second address;   wherein the intermediary receives a request for the second electronic document based upon selection of a first object that is included in the first electronic document,   wherein the first object is associated with the second address, and   wherein the intermediary receives the second electronic document from the server and generates, in response to the request for the second electronic document, an updated second electronic document that includes a second object associated with the first address.